Adding a Rear LADDER to a 2018 Seneca HJ - Need Help

[dneeld52]

My recently acquired 2018 Seneca HJ was built without a ladder. I called the Jayco dealer down the street from the factory, and before they could quote an installed price, they needed a part #! I called Jayco parts, but the factory cannot give me a part # because my unit evidently was not built with the backing blocks in the rear cap which the ladder is mounted to. They asked if I could get the last 8 digits of a VIN# that had a ladder, they could find the part #! Is that insane or what.

If you have a ladder on your Seneca, could you share your last 8 digits of your VIN so I can get the factory to quote this part!!!! Very nice people in parts, but they simply didn't have a way to get me a part #.

[Grumpy]

Originally Posted by dneeld52

but the factory cannot give me a part # because my unit evidently was not built with the backing blocks in the rear cap which the ladder is mounted to.

If there is no blocking what are you going to mount it to? That is a disaster waiting to happen.

[dneeld52]

WELL, you go in through the closet and add some blocking. Jayco sent me a wall drawing and showed me what to avoid. But parts says it's a liability issue and the lawyers don't want them to quote it, UNLESS they have the 8 digits from a unit that originally had a ladder mounted. Hence the reason for my request. I don't know anyone at the factory with a higher ranking so I can't go above the blockers.

[Route 66 Traveler]

Have you considered a portable ladder? I preferred one over the mounted version for the simple reason there are less holes drilled through the RV for water intrusion, plus factory ladders aren’t the most sturdy.

I bought this from Amazon; easy to use, easy to store.

https://www.amazon.com/Ohuhu-Telesco...3608810&sr=8-4

[Grumpy]

Originally Posted by dneeld52

WELL, you go in through the closet and add some blocking. Jayco sent me a wall drawing and showed me what to avoid. But parts says it's a liability issue and the lawyers don't want them to quote it, UNLESS they have the 8 digits from a unit that originally had a ladder mounted. Hence the reason for my request. I don't know anyone at the factory with a higher ranking so I can't go above the blockers.

It appears 2016 was the last year a ladder was standard on the SENECA. It is not even listed as an option on a 2017 or 2018. Adding the blocking will not be that simple. The FACTORY SERVICE CENTER will not even add or modify a rig unless it had the option available when produced.

[whporwil]

I have a 2017 rb and i put a ladder on it because i was told i could. 2 years later I took it off because it didn't have the support it needed. The top mounting points on the roof were pulling out i believe because they were caring all the weight. Also the bottom was just barely attached, you can see the plywood on the back side of your end cap and it wasn't any wider than the ladder. Meaning the screws holding the bottom of the ladder were at the edge of the plywood. Ladder is shipped in one big box, ladder cost 100 bucks shipping was $129.00. Sorry I don't have the part number, however i got the number from customer service back when Jayco would ship parts to your home.

[dneeld52]

Yes, I was told that and then I was told to call an outfit in Goshen, IN that is an approved service center. They know people at the facxtory that told them it could be done, but who do you believe? A collapsible ladder may be simpler.

[Rustynuts]

Seems to be a big debate on if there is blocking in a rear cap that doesn’t have a factory installed ladder. Mine didn’t come with one but I can see the bottom blocking and I have confirmed the metal bracing plate in the roof as I mounted my WeBoost antenna there and wanted the additional strength. The Percept and Seneca both use the same rear cap, the caps are made up ahead of production assembly and I highly doubt that some are made with blocking and some without, that would be a mistake waiting to happen. I have a 2018.5 with no ladder, I actually prefer it that way and carry a telescoping ladder. I have also seen other 2018.5 with a ladder and they had the same blocking that I have have in the bottom of my rear cap which can be seen on both left and right side and if you look at some pics of Percepts, the ladder is on the passenger side and the Senecas are on the drivers side. IMO all rear caps have blocking in both sides, this could probably be confirmed with a good stud finder that reads density well.

Here is a thread where a Seneca owner gives the part number for a ladder in post #23.

https://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f...tml#post605524

[egmhe36]

I added a factory ladder on our 2017 Seneca 37TS. I could see the backing blocks under the rear bumper area glassed into the rear end cap. I was told I got the last ladder Jayco had. I would check both for the blocks and with Jayco for the ladder.

[repeach]

I have a 2018 37HJ and I have a ladder on the back.
When I first got the RV I had so many warranty issues I took the rig to Middlebury and they had it for 3 months. I asked them for a quote on putting on a ladder and they said they would put one on for me because of all the issues I had. I said "thank you".
A couple week later they called and said they would like to do some sort of other compensation instead of the ladder. I said "nope, I want the ladder".
When I picked up the RV I saw some paper work...
It was over $3000 for them to install the ladder.
The entire back cap had to come off and they manually built some blocks to support it. I have been using it for almost 3 years now and have not problems.

I would not have paid $3K for a ladder, I would have bought one that fit in a basement. But they paid for it and I feel lucky.